MONTREAL >> Matt Beleskey scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period to lead the Ducks to a 2-1 victory over Montreal on Thursday night in a game the Canadiens lost top scorer Max Pacioretty to an injury.

Hampus Lindholm also scored for Anaheim and Frederik Andersen made 23 saves for his 18th win of the season. The Ducks have won eight of their last nine.

Pacioretty left the game 4 minutes into the third period after taking a late hit into the boards by Anaheim’s Clayton Stoner. Pacioretty spent several seconds on his knees on the ice before being helped to the dressing room by the Canadiens training staff.

There was no call on the play.

With P.K. Subban just stepping out of the penalty box, Beleskey got the go-ahead score — his team-leading 15th goal of the season — by beating Price top corner, blocker-side at 8:33 of the third period.

When the puck dropped to start the game, the Ducks quickly showed why they are at the top of the NHL standings.

They ran circles around the Canadiens from the get-go, keeping Montreal’s fourth line back in its own zone for nearly 3 minutes. Montreal countered with desperation icings, and head coach Michel Therrien was forced to take a timeout early in the game with his team being outshot 7-1.

Price could do little to stop the Ducks’ eighth shot, as Lindholm sent a puck past two players and into the back of the net at 8:16 of the first.

The Canadiens, the league’s worst first-period team, failed to score in the opening 20 minutes for the 23rd time this season.

Shortly after Pacioretty headed to the dressing room with his injury, the Canadiens tied the score at 5:27 of the third. With Patrick Maroon in the box for interference, Desharnais fired a one-timer past Andersen after a clever cross-ice pass from Andrei Markov.

Sergei Gonchar came close to tying the score again in the game’s final minute with Montreal’s net empty, but the veteran defenseman instead found the outside of the post.

The Ducks’ Corey Perry missed the game with a knee injury sustained on Dec. 5.